(Chapter 184 omitted in translation as it is a chapter title.)

(Chapter 184 omitted in translation as it is a chapter title.)

Both of them lay on the grass, blades of grass in their mouths, gazing up at the moon in the sky overhead.

"Brother, can we share mental images because our minds are merged?" Yan Bubu asked.

Feng Chen turned to look at him: "What do you think?"

Yan Bubu also turned, teasing Feng Chen's face with the tip of the grass in his mouth: "I think so."

Yan Bubu sounded slightly regretful: "If we had known that merging our minds would let you see the mental images, we would have merged sooner."

Feng Chen stared at him silently, his eyes especially deep under the moonlight.

"Never mind, I know. Merging minds also triggers a bonding heat. So if it weren't for this incident, you wouldn’t have suggested merging minds with me so soon," Yan Bubu muttered.

Feng Chen just smiled faintly, gently tracing his finger along Yan Bubu's prominent nose.

Yan Bubu asked, "Do you think the mental images are like what you imagined?"

"Hmm."

Yan Bubu: "Is the image clear?"

"Very clear."

"So, do you think I'm impressive?"

"Impressive."

……

The two of them nestled together, whispering intermittently. Occasionally, they would pause and listen quietly to the sound of the wind blowing through the grass.

Feng Chen, with his eyes closed, suddenly heard Yan Bubu let out a soft sigh.

"What's wrong?" he asked, opening his eyes.

Yan Bubu, slightly uncomfortable, tugged at his collar and took a couple of deep breaths, "I'm feeling unwell, so hot."

Feng Chen looked around, feeling the coolness of the night breeze, and asked with confusion, "Hot?"

"Yes, it's like suddenly there's a fire burning inside me," Yan Bubu frowned and asked Feng Chen, "What's happening? Do I have a cold?"

"A cold?" Feng Chen echoed, questioning.

The concept of a cold was somewhat foreign to Feng Chen.

Yan Bubu had always had a hearty appetite and been active; he had never had a cold in his life. There was only one time he fell into an ice hole while ice fishing at sea. After being pulled out, he coughed for a day. Feng Chen made him a cough and cold remedy, and after a good night's sleep, Yan Bubu was back to his lively self the next day.

"Not a cold? I also thought it unlikely to be a cold," Yan Bubu hesitated, "I think it might be 'bonding heat.'"

Feng Chen remained silent, simply placing his hand on Yan Bubu's forehead. But the skin under his palm still carried the coolness of the night air, showing no sign of fever.

"Eh... I was just teasing you," Yan Bubu drew out his words, then burst into proud laughter, "Hahaha... You must have thought I was experiencing bonding heat, excitedly, but I was just teasing you."

Fooling Feng Chen seemed to delight him immensely, and he lay on the grass, laughing endlessly.

Feng Chen looked down at him, "Is it that funny?"

"It's hilarious, haha... You should have seen your expression."

Yan Bubu then imitated Feng Chen's initial reaction, suppressing his laughter and curiously touching his forehead.

Feng Chen pushed his hand away and lay back down. Yan Bubu looked at him, but Feng Chen turned his face away. Yan Bubu then leaned forward, stretching his head out long, determined to face him directly.

"Tsk, move over, you're blocking my moonbathing," Feng Chen pushed his head away.

"Hehe... you're angry. Were you really looking forward to it? You're angry because you're embarrassed..."

"Right, I'm fuming with embarrassment. I'm so angry that if I weren't concerned about my dignity, I'd have already cried out," Feng Chen said indifferently.

Yan Bubu said, "Actually, I didn't find it that funny, just felt happy. Do you know the difference? Funny and happy are not the same, like—"

He stopped mid-sentence and just stared at Feng Chen.

Feng Chen initially ignored him, gazing at a patch of the night sky, but when Yan Bubu remained silent, he finally turned and asked, "What now?"

An unusual expression appeared on Yan Bubu's face, "I really, really feel hot now, suddenly feeling so warm."

"Really?" Feng Chen casually asked, a blade of grass in his mouth, looking at him leisurely, "Give me a more specific description."

"I don't know how to describe it..." Yan Bubu started breathing rapidly, "It's a strange feeling, suddenly... suddenly feeling heat in my chest."

"You've already used the description of a burning chest, try a different one," Feng Chen said.

"No, it's not that... it's not..." Yan Bubu's expression became frantic, clutching at his chest, gasping, "I think I really have bonding heat... Brother, I really do."

Feng Chen made no sound, only clapping his hands softly.

"It's unbearable, I feel like I can't breathe, it's so uncomfortable..." Yan Bubu said as he stood up unsteadily and staggered to the side.

Feng Chen asked, "Where are you going?"

"I want to drink water, I'm going back to drink water," Yan Bubu replied.

Feng Chen's expression finally lost its ease, and he sat up, "Come here, let me see. Do you really have a cold?"

Yan Bubu returned, crouching in front of Feng Chen, breathing rapidly with his mouth open. Feng Chen placed his hand on Yan Bubu's forehead, frowning in confusion, "No temperature change... What else feels uncomfortable? Does your throat hurt? Feeling dizzy? Have you been overworked these past few days—"

Feng Chen abruptly stopped speaking.

In the large eyes under his palm, the pupils were rolling mischievously, showing no sign of panic, only full of teasing.

Feng Chen slowly withdrew his hand, speaking coldly, "Go on, go find water. You're not sick, you have bonding heat. You need to find a pool to soak in, otherwise, you'll cook yourself inside and out."

"Hahahahaha..." Yan Bubu burst into another earth-shattering laughter.

As Feng Chen lay back down amidst his laughter, Yan Bubu collapsed on top of him, laughing and asking, "Are you angry now? Are you excited? Hahaha... Did you think I really had bonding heat, your heart racing wildly?"

Feng Chen, expressionless, pushed him away, "Move over, don't touch me."

"I want to be close to you, to let you feel my bonding heat," Yan Bubu nudged closer, head to head, and blew in his ear, "You must have wanted to pounce on me, tear me to pieces and devour me."

After a moment of silence, Feng Chen suddenly chuckled lightly.

"What are you laughing at?" Yan Bubu asked.

"Nothing."

Yan Bubu said, "No, you're just pretending not to care because you feel embarrassed about being tricked by me, so you laugh it off deliberately."

Feng Chen responded, "You've seen right through me."

Narrowing his eyes, Yan Bubu scrutinized Feng Chen, then became uncertain again, "You're definitely laughing at me. Come on, tell me, what are you laughing about?"

Feng Chen simply smiled without answering, prompting Yan Bubu to start pushing him, making him sway from side to side, "Tell me, brother, tell me, what are you laughing about?"

"Stop, stop, don't push," Feng Chen turned to look at Yan Bubu and sighed gently, "Yan Bubu, didn’t you say you listened attentively in class?"

Yan Bubu replied, "Yes, I did pay attention and even took notes. How else could I score over sixty in the exams?"

Feng Chen asked, "If you paid attention in class, then how could you think I believed you had bonding heat?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Yan Bubu asked, puzzled.

"Where is your guide essence?" Feng Chen uttered with a half-smile, "Study slacker."

Two minutes later, Yan Bubu lay calmly beside Feng Chen, both staring at the moon above.

Feng Chen reached out to put his arm around him, but Yan Bubu pushed his hand away, "Stop it!"

"Angry? Are you embarrassed because you couldn’t fool me?" Feng Chen inquired.

Yan Bubu turned his face away, remaining silent.

Feng Chen pinched his nose, "Okay, okay, you’re not a study slacker; you’re very smart."

"Smart? Don’t you always praise Binunu for being smart? I feel like you’re mocking me," Yan Bubu glared at him sideways.

"Binunu is indeed smart, would you dare say it isn’t?"

Yan Bubu instinctively looked around before swallowing his retort.

Feng Chen laughed and reached to embrace him again. Yan Bubu resisted slightly but eventually leaned into his arms.

"Exactly, Binunu is smart, and so are you," Feng Chen said, kissing his forehead and changing the subject, "By the way, do you think Wang Suizi and the others are worried sick about us suddenly disappearing for a few days?"

Yan Bubu's attention was indeed diverted, he let out a small sound of realization, "Yeah, they must be extremely worried, searching everywhere for us, probably thinking we disappeared like those other sentinels and guides."

"Yes, my injuries are healed now, we should hurry back," Feng Chen said.

"Right, the situation with Chen Sizhe is still unresolved, and we haven't rescued Mr. and Mrs. yet," Yan Bubu thought for a moment then asked, "So, are we leaving right now?"

Feng Chen didn't answer immediately, instead, he frowned and pondered for a moment before saying, "I plan to visit the unnamed mountain behind here before we return."

"Nameless Mountain? What Nameless Mountain?"

"It's the mountain range behind Yin Xie Mountain, a place with no particular name. It's also where I got injured," Feng Chen said, cradling Yan Bubu in his left arm and resting his right hand behind his head. "That day, when I was chasing the Red Spider, it kept fleeing towards the Nameless Mountain. I guessed that it had accomplices there."

"Accomplices? You mean the zombie sentinels and guides you encountered? Were they lying in ambush in those mountains, waiting for him?" asked Yan Bubu.

"Actually, there was no ambush in the mountains, nor would I call them accomplices," Feng Chen pondered. "The Red Spider said he never thought of calling others, but acted alone. So, those zombies weren't there specifically waiting for him."

"Not specifically waiting for him," Yan Bubu became alert. "Could it be... you think An Bu Jia's lair is in the mountains behind?"

Feng Chen said, "The Red Spider intended to complete the mission alone, but I discovered him. It would be too foolish to take me to their lair as well."

"So what does it all mean?"

"I think there are still many zombies in those mountains, controlled by someone and carrying out a certain mission. The Red Spider knew An Bu Jia had set up zombies there, so he led me there, hoping to find a chance to escape. But he didn't expect to end up losing his own life."

Yan Bubu nodded thoughtfully, "Right... But how do you know those zombies were on a mission?"

Feng Chen explained, "We encountered zombies both inside and near the cave, both times at dusk, a fixed time. Zombies don’t think; they wouldn’t venture into this dark area for no reason. They must be controlled by someone. If these two groups of zombies were moving along a fixed route at a set time, then they are patrolling this area."

Yan Bubu suddenly realized, "Right, they must be patrolling."

Feng Chen squeezed Yan Bubu's shoulder, "Analyzing the frequency of their patrols, the area they are mainly guarding isn't here. It's more like ensuring the outer security, so they only come here once a day. Since this place is close to the Nameless Mountain Range, I suspect An Bu Jia's sect is up to something in those mountains."

Yan Bubu pressed the hand on his shoulder, "Right, the two zombies you killed today, I saw them clearly in the consciousness image. They looked unfamiliar; I've never seen them before. They aren't the sentinels or guides who disappeared from our camp."

Feng Chen said, "Right, they're not the ones currently missing. When the Central City was first built and not yet fully operational, some missing people weren't accounted for. They were probably taken during that time."

Yan Bubu, a bit uneasy, said, "What if there are many zombies in the Nameless Mountain? Should we go back and inform the military so they can handle it?" After a moment, he added, "Are you worried about Chen Sizhe?"

Feng Chen nodded, "I am cautious of Chen Sizhe. Until things become clear, it's best not to let him know anything we find."

Yan Bubu solemnly said, "Alright, then we'll go by ourselves, right now."

Feng Chen, however, raised his hand to ruffle his hair, "Not now, it's too late. Let's rest well tonight and set off tomorrow."

After discussing the serious matters, the two continued whispering, chatting about this and that. Most of the time, it was Yan Bubu talking and Feng Chen listening, occasionally responding softly.

Yan Bubu said, "...Look at your clothes, they're so torn, full of holes. Should we use some grass stems to sew them? Back in Haiyun City, you could sew your clothes with grass stems."

Feng Chen replied, "That was hemp."

Yan Bubu retorted, "Hemp is a grass, too. Hey... Brother, this hole on your shoulder is too big. I can see your...”

Two seconds later, there was a crisp slap.

"Where's your hand? Take it off."

"...Just a touch, come on. It's always like this with you; if you're in a good mood, you let me touch, if not, you slap my hand away. Look, it's all red now."

Feng Chen threw off Yan Bubu's hand and was about to say something when he suddenly smelled a strange fragrance.

It was a sweet, cloying scent, mixed with the strong smell of green grass and earth, slowly creeping into his nostrils and rapidly permeating every cell in his body. His heartbeat accelerated, and his blood surged like a rising tide, growing tumultuous.

Feng Chen had smelled this peculiar fragrance a few months ago, one evening, leaving a deep imprint in his memory. His sense of smell was still distinguishing it, but his body had already preemptively relayed this sensation to his brain.

It's a guide's pheromone!

Is this really a guide's pheromone?!